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Linux Desktops Catching On In Education
digihome writes to point us to an appreciation of the state of Indiana's project of moving students from Windows desktops to Linux. In about a year, 22,000 students have made the switch, using a variety of Linux distributions. The crn.com writer tried switching his own two children to Linux laptops. From the article: "'So Dad,' [the 10-year-old son] asked. 'What is the difference between Linux and Windows?' I tried to explain but it was a waste of breath. 'What difference do you see?' I asked back. 'Nothing, really.'"
I am going to be taking on a new project/job. I am a Windows Network Admin in the States. I've been asked to maintain seven orginizations that will be using some form of an Open Source OS. I'm fine with this as I also use a Mac and run most of my servers using BSD.
They are going OSS because of the cost of licenses. This is a near 3rd world country and money doesn't come free. Even though I'm taking a 95% paycut, I plan on learning as much as I can and using what ever else is "free".
*IF* the applications work, people are fine with the OS they are running on. Most people generate emails and documents which can be done nicely on every system.
Yep, because after growing up with Commodores and Apples in school, I found it completely impossible to work on anything else. It's a good thing companies still use WFW 3.11, because how would I ever transfer that knowledge to later versions of Windows with their radical innovations? On a similar token, we should stop teaching foreign languages, since it is a waste of time to speak those less useful languages. It's not like broadening your educational horizon helps in picking up other things, right?
P.S. It's literate, not litterate.
you obviously haven't used Linux or a while. Well, that or the only thing you've seen is WM, Black Box something equally as easy on the resources. At home, I'm running Sabayon Linux with Gnome, XFCE and KDE, all enhanced with AIGLX. Quite frankly, my desktop blows away anything with the Windows label, including Vista, in performance and appearance, both while doing stuff (minimizing, closing, moving windows and so on), and while sitting still.
If you're looking for a beauty contest, Linux wins hands down as long as you are using something newer than Redhat 3!
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Cedega isn't a magic bullet either. There's tons of programs that don't work in it. Also, some of us also want to promote freedom, and they have broken all their promises about contributing code back; sure, the code eventually makes it in, once they feel they no longer have an edge to maintain over the competition with it. It's certainly not timely. And from what I understand it's pretty spotty as well.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"Xandros Professional 4 lists for $99, versus anticipated Windows Vista pricing of $199"
Not possible. I have to use Windows-only apps and don't have the time to spend on the clock making them (maybe) work under Linux, nor can I take them home with me since they're network-based. We don't have the budget to buy me extra computers (and I'd object to tax money being spent that way anyway, it could be better used in a classroom) so I don't get any toys. Don't make the school pay for a new desktop so you can run Linux. Do like so many kids these days do and roll around town looking for an old p2 lying in a driveway waiting to be thrown out. Make it a headless box. Take an hour at home to install your distro of choice and add your SSHD to the startup. Take it to work, drop it on your network and SSH or VNC to it durring your lunch break to work out problems. Over time you just might have something that could replace one Windows box. Work slowly.
That depends on how they got Windows. I'm sure a vast majority only "buy" Windows when they get a new computer, where the actual cost of the OS is much lower than a "box" copy, not to mention it's all mixed in with the rest of the cost. I doubt many "average joe/jane" computer users even realize that they're paying for it.
They buy their computer from Best Buy/Walmart/Futureshop, hook up the cables and Windows is right there, with it's friendly "Welcome" screen. It's not like they can easily choose to not have Windows installed for a decrease in price.
So, from that perspective, Windows has no cost. It's there. Linux has the added cost of effort. You have to go out and research it, download it, burn it, install it and configure it. So, you need a CD burner, an Internet connection (cable/dsl recommended) the free time to do all of this, and the desire to do it.
Don't let the blowhards get to you. Truth is, I'm still teaching myself Linux. I was first exposed to it years ago when I was pursuing ProSoft's CIW Certification (what a waste of money). Anyway, I was intrigued, but wanted a way to tinker with Linux so I could learn it at my own pace and to a greater degree than was being done in the classroom.
;-)
I, like you, was in a position where I needed a Windows box for a variety of Windows-Only apps I was using, and for a while was quite frustrated as to how I was EVER going to get exposed to Linux beyond just reading books. Then I decided to try "dual boot". I've never looked back. I have no idea why so many supporters of the FOSS community seem to shy away from this idea, but for me, it's great. I have my Windows XP partition where I can run all the Windows only stuff I need, and then I have my Linux partition that I can boot into and do whatever I like to. Since it's just for learning, who cares if I screw it up somehow (although, thus far I haven't done any irreparable damage).
In fact, after a year or so of tinkering on my Linux partition, I got brave enough and upgraded my "main" computer, and made my old desktop a dedicated Linux server. Since I had tinkered around and "learned by doing" on my dual boot system, I didn't feel as much like I was in totally uncharted waters. Thus far, I've been able to set up a successful Web Server, FTP server, and if it weren't for my ISP blocking incoming port 25, I'd have an email server too!
Incidentally, I've learned using Fedora, and I like it. There are a lot of distros out there. Try some. Try a LiveCD to get the basic feel of a few. When you find one you like, install it as a dual boot. Fedora was able to take care of installing "around" my Windows XP Pro system no problem (including the boot loader) so if you're worried that you'll hose your Windows partition, don't be, it's not as big a deal as people make it out to be, just be sure that Windows is on there first (it seems to need to think that it's the only OS on the drive). Come on, join the bandwagon, you sound like a smart and thankfully tenacious person. You'll be glad you jumped on board. I'm still learning where I can, and am by no means at all an expert (hell, I'm barely a novice), but at least I know more than I used to.
"no way the students will be able to do state-of-the-art desktop publishing and film editing using linux" http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8589 much of the editing for the movies "Lord of the Rings" and "Spiderman" as well as tons of other movies used linux.
If you buy it at a shop you could ask a clerk to wipe the disk or ask them to watch as you wiped it yourself. If you ordered it, take a vid. of you opening the box and wiping the harddrive. lots of ways to do it though none of them are convenient but they are there.
In my day-to-day working environment, we use Linux on diskless workstations. We can deliver either a Windows desktop or a Linux desktop to the user, simply changing one line in a file. (The Windows desktop is provided by using rdesktop to login into Windows Terminal Server. The Windows machine itself is a virtual server running on the free VMWARE server. The VMWARE server runs on top of Slackware Linux.)
I can see a scenario where a teacher can set up an entire classroom of diskless workstations simply by using a webform to select which environment she or he wants for the particular class. Since all configuration is done at the server, there is no need to go around to each individual workstation to install software/do upgrades etc. All software maintenance/configuration is done at the server.
The only maintenance is of the server and the network infrastructure, not the individual workstations. And a lot of the work is already done for you by the LTSP, which has a special interest in education. It's really amazing that teachers are not aware of the wonderful work which has been done in this area.
I remember being part of a group that got the LTSP project up and working without even reading the documentation one afternoon.
The thing is that Linux offers the ability to do so much more for much less cost. And yes, there is a cost in training but that is true of ALL software. And the training cost is offset by the reduced maintenance cost.
In addition, using a diskless workstation environment places control over the desktop in the hands of the system administrator, not in the hands of some virus writer.
If diskless workstations won't cut it, you can try LiveCDs which can be customised to suit the exact needs of the educator. Try SLAX which is easily modified. The great benefit of LiveCDs is that the educator can give them out to the students. Think of having the entire course on a LiveCD which the student can take home and use for homework.
I think people don't realise the incredible potential of Linux in education. Their previous experience with Windows, has them so shell-shocked that the mere idea of change is overwhelming. It's true that Linux has not yet been fine-tuned to meet all expectations. But with good will and elbow grease, that will change.